Submarine



y 1938; E. H. JENNINGS 2,118,466

- SUBMARINE Filed Jan. 20, 1936 4 Sheets-Shet 1 Inv'eplor May 24, 1938. E. H. JENNINGS ,1

.SUBMARINEJ Filed Jan. 20, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenlor I J /wwh w A llornep E. H. JENNINGS v SUBMARINE Filed Jan. 20, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

Inventor I 17 40/53 A Home);

Patented May 24, 1 938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

The present invention relates to submarines generally and more particularly to a rescue apparatus associated therewith, and the object of the invention resides in the provision of a buoy 5 cooperatively associated with the submarine so that should the submarine be submerged accidentally or otherwise, a buoy may be released so as to appear on the surface of the water whereby the location of the submarine may be indicated without difliculty. Another important object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved submarine signalling device of this class which is simple in its construction, inexpensive to incorporate in a, submarine, fairly efficient and reliable in use and operation, easy to manipulate and otherwise well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

A further object resides in providing a lifting device which is attached to the signalling device for use in lifting the submerged submarine.

Figure 1 represents a sunken. submarine with one of the buoys in a signalling position on the surface of the water. I V

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the buoy.

Figure3 is a detail horizontal section looking. upwardly and showing in part a bottom plan view portion of the mechanism associated with my invention.

Figure 4 is a detail section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5v of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevational View of the lifting device in sliding engagement with the cable, which is shown in section.

Figure? is a front elevational view of the lifting device, shown attached to the submarine to raise the same.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the lines 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on lines 9-9 of Figure '7.

Figure 10 represents a sunken submarine, a rescue ship and the lifting device slidably mounted on the cable extending between the submarine and the ship.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the numeral 5 denotes a portion of the deck of the submarine, and this portion of the deck is provided with a depression or well 6.

In the well are a pair of journal brackets 1 in which are rotatably mounted a drum 8. on one end of which is a bevelled gear 9 meshing with the bevelled pinion ID on a shaft ll operable by a hand crank I2. The shaft H is journaled in a suitable bracket [4. The bevelled pinion I0 is in mesh with the bevelled gear 9.

Numeral l5 denotes a dome-like hollow float about the bottom of which is a flange IS on opposite points of which are notches H. The float I5 is connected with a cable 20 windable on the drum 8 as indicated at 2|.

. A pair of bars 22 are journaled in bearings 23 in the deck 5 on opposite sides of the float, buoy or the like I5, and they normally extend through the notches l1, and on the outer end have lateral terminals 25 which hold the buoy in place on the submarine.

On the inner or lower ends of the bars 22 there are fixed collars 28 from which extend cranks 29. A link 3|] connects the. cranks 29 and the operation of one will cause the operation of the other in like direction because one of the cranks includes branches a and b extending in opposite directions, the branch at being connected with the link 39 and the branch I) being connected with a cable 3| extending through a guide sleeve 32 to a remote portion on the submarine for operation therewith whereby the pulley may be released. The purpose, of course, of the crank 12 is to retrieve the buoy in practice.

It is apparent that when a submarine or other vessel which is equipped with the buoy, is submerged or sunken, the buoy, to which the cable is attached, can bereleased by the cranks 29, thus causing the buoy to ascend to the surface of the water. The buoy or buoys, as the case may be, would have thereon the necessary identifying marks which described the vessel to which the buoy or buoys were attached.

In order to provide means for raising the sunken submarine or other vessel, I provide a clutch denoted generally by the numeral 33. Thisclutch is adapted to be threaded onto the cable 20 to permit the clutch to be slidably mounted thereon. This clutch comprises an inverted U-shaped casing 34, which has its legs 35 joined at substantially their mid-section by plates 36.

Mounted within the casing is a pair of cooperating gripping arms 31, which are provided at their free ends with gripping fingers 38. These fingers are curved inwardly toward each other to form a normally closed hook, and are adapted to be spread open when contacting the drum 8 to receive. the same; and further adapted to then close and grip said drum. The ends opposed to said free ends are pivotally secured to a bolt 39, which has its terminals rigidly fixed to the plates 36, and which is provided with a central opening 39. The cable 20 is received by the clutch through this opening. The gripping arms 31 are provided with ears 40 to which are fastened trip rods 42. These trip rods are threaded through eyelets 43, mounted on both inner sides of the casing, and extend through openings in the top portion 44 of the inverted U-shaped casing to terminate in hooks 45. It is evident that a pull exerted on the hooks 45 causes the gripping arms 31 to move outwardly away from each other through the slots 46 in the casing 35, thereby causing the gripping fingers 38 to release their hold on the drum 8'. These fingers are normally kept in closed position by the springs 41, which are mounted on the trip rods 42 above the ears- 40 and below the eyelets 43, as clearly shown in Figure 7. Stops t8 limit the outward movement of the gripping arms 31.

Slidably mounted between the legs 35 is a spacer block 49, which limits the inward move ment of the gripping arms 31 to prevent the same from looking. This spacer block 49 is limited in its movement by the stop 50 and the base of each of the plates 35, and is provided with a centra'li opening in alignment with the opening 39' in the bolt 39 to receive the cable 20.

In the center of the top portion 44 of the inverted U-shaped casing 35 is an opening which fixedly receives the sleeve 5!, and which is in alignment with the openings 39, and which also receives the cable 23'. A swivel connection 52 with a central bore in alignment with the opening in the sleeve is attached to the sleeve, and has its free end threaded as at 53 for attachment to a pontoon (not shown) if desired. This swivel connection; permits the clutch, slidably mounted on the cable 20, to spin as the clutch descends from the buoy to the drum.

In order to insure that the legs 35 at all times straddle the drum 8', wheels 54 are mounted on the feet of the legs, which wheels pivotally turn the clutch on the drum until the drum is received by the legs. If it becomes necessary to release the drum from the gripping arms 31, there is provided a line 55, the free ends of which are secured to the hooks 45. An operating line 56 is attached to the mid-section of the line 55, which operating line is adapted to be pulled, thereby causing the gripping arms to be moved outwardly and releasing the clutch from the drum.

When the submarine or other vessel has sunk, the buoy, carrying with it the cable 20, is released and' permitted to ascend to the surface of the water. Upon the discovery of the buoy by the submarines mother ship or by any rescue ship indicated in the drawings by the letter S, the cable 20 is hoisted upon said ship with the buoy either attached thereto, or detached therefrom. The cable is then pulled by mechanical power, which is furnished by the rescue ship S, until the drum 8 carries only one end of the cable. Thus there isprovided 'ataut cable extending directly from the rescue ship to the drum 8. The clutch 33 is then threadedonto the cable 20 by the rescue crew and permitted to descend on said cable to the sunken submarine or vessel. The clutch carries lifting cables, air lines or pontoons, whichever may be deemed expedient to efiect the rescue work.

When the clutch reaches the drum 8 of the submarine, the legs 35 of the clutch are caused by means of the wheels 54 to straddle said drum thereby causing the drum to be automatically gripped by the fingers 38, as clearly shown in Figure 7. A pull is then exerted on. t e l ft g line 51 to raise the submarine to the surface. If it becomes necessary at any time to release the clutch from the drum of the submarine, the operating line 56 is pulled, thereby moving outwardly the gripping arms 37.

If desired, the clutch may be fastened by means of the swivel connection 52 to'a pontoon, and then, when the clutch automatically attaches to the drum as described above, the pontoon would be used to raise the sunken vessel.

It will be readily observed that the use of this mechanism eliminates divers, does away with the impossibility of locating a sunken submarine, renders their position ascertainable and will permit the recovery of a vessel of this type within a short space of time after it is in difficulty. This device can be constructed very cheaply and can be made to fit any type or kind of submarine.

It is thought that the construction, operation, utility and advantages of this invention will now be quite apparent to those skilled in this art without a more detailed description thereof.

The present embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail merely for the purposes of exemplification since in actual practice it attains the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description.

It will be apparent that changes in the details of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventi'on as hereinafter claimed or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. The herein described submarine improvement comprising, a drumrotatably mounted on the deck of said submarine, a cable windable on the drum, a buoy anchored to one end of the cable and resting on the surface of the water, and a lifting device slidably mounted on the cable for raising the submarine, said device comprising an inverted U-shaped casing formed to provide legs, wheels mounted on the legs of said casing to cause the lifting device to straddle the drum, and arms pivotally mounted within the casing for gripping the drum.

2. A lifting device to be used with a drum and cable of a submerged submarine, said device comprising an inverted U-shaped casing, formed to provide legs, wheels mounted on the legs of said casing to cause the device to straddle the drum, arms pivotally mounted within the casing for gripping the drum for raising the submarine, and spring-pressed trip rods fastened to the arms to normally close said arms and to permit said arms to open when contacted by the drum.

3. The herein described submarine improvement comprising a drum, a cable windable on the drum, and a buoy anchored to one end of a the cable, a lifting device slidably mounted on the cable'for raising the submarine, said device comprising an inverted U-shaped casing formed toprovide legs, wheels mounted on the legs of said casing to cause the lifting device to straddle thedrum, arms pivotally mounted within the casing for gripping the drum for raising the submarine, and spring pressed trip rods fastened to the arms to normally close said arms and to permit said. arms to open when contacted by the drum. 7

4. A lifting device comprising an inverted U- shaped casing formed to provide legs, wheel's mounted on the legs of said casing to cause the lifting device to straddle the object to be lifted, arms pivotally mounted within the casing and provided at their free ends with fingers for the gripping of said object, and spring pressed trip rods having their lower ends secured to the arms and having their upper ends extending through openings in the casing for releasing the gripping fingers from said object to be lifted.

5. The herein described submarine improvement comprising a deck having a well formed therein, a drum, means for journaling the drum in the well, a buoy normally closing the well and having notches formed in the flange thereof, a cable windable on the drum and anchored on the buoy, means for manually rotating the drum, and means for releasing the buoy, said means comprising a pair of upstanding bars journaled through the deck, lateral extensions integral with the outer ends of said bars, and removably received in the notches of the buoy, cranks secured to the inner ends of the bars, one of said cranks having a pair of branches extending in opposite directions, a link connecting one of said branches of a crank with the other crank, and a cable secured to the other branch of the crank, whereby the buoy may be released at a point remote from the said buoy.

EDWARD HENRY JENNINGS. 

